1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a method and a system for assistance in the entry of flight data for an aircraft transmitted between the ground staff and the crew on board the aircraft. The disclosed embodiments propose the use of a voice recognition device for the detection and analysis on board the aircraft of certain data transmitted during communication and the display of this data on a display unit of the cockpit. It simplifies the task of the crew and therefore secures the reception of the data.
The disclosed embodiments find applications in aeronautics and especially in in-flight communications to secure the reception of the data transmitted by the ground staff to the crew on board the aircraft.
2. Brief Description
When an aircraft is in flight, the crew on board the aircraft, for example the pilot or the copilot, communicate with the ground staff, for example the air traffic controller, in order to exchange data on the flight.
This data may be data on the flight sector, the flying level, speed, frequency of transmission/reception of messages to be exchanged with the ground staff, etc. In particular, this data may relate to the VHF or HF frequency of the RF communications link with the air traffic controller.
Indeed, each zone of the air space is sectorized and an aircraft has only one air traffic controller as its interlocutor in a given sector with whom it communicates on a determined frequency channel.
Thus, when an aircraft is going to leave a sector to enter a new sector, it is important that the crew of the aircraft should know the frequency of the radio channel on which it will communicate with the air traffic controller of the new sector. The crew of the aircraft must be informed of the radiofrequency of the new sector before leaving the old sector in order to be able to come into contact with the air traffic controller as soon as it enters the new sector. To this end, it is necessary to ensure that the information new radiofrequency has been clearly understood by the crew.
For example, when an aircraft reaches the end of a first sector, the air traffic controller of the first sector sends a radio-link message to the crew indicating the VHF or HF frequency on which the crew will communicate with the air traffic controller of the second sector. Generally, the pilot in charge of communications on board the aircraft sends confirmation to the air traffic controller of the first sector indicating that he has clearly understood the frequency by readback, i.e. by repeating the frequency. This frequency is then registered by the pilot or by another member of the crew in a display unit of the cockpit, for example a panel for the management of the radiofrequency equipment known as a radio management panel (RMP). This recording is done by means of a digital selection device or a keyboard. Once this frequency has been recorded in the RMP, it is put into application. The crew is then able to communicate with the air traffic controller of the second sector.
To store this frequency value, the pilot or another member of the aircraft crew can note it in writing before entering it into the display unit. He can thus use his own short-term memory. Should the aircraft be equipped with a code wheel RMP, the pilot can use a window known as the MCDU (multipurpose control and display unit) to enter the value of this frequency and thus store it for as long as it has not been confirmed. Whatever the way in which this frequency has been stored (in the pilot's head or entered by keyboard or written on a piece of paper) and as soon as it has been confirmed, the pilot must record it manually in the active window of the display unit. He must then visually verify the value of the frequency recorded and then validate it by means of a key dedicated to the activation of this value. In other words, when the value of the frequency has been recorded in the RMP, the pilot must verify the recorded value and put it into application.
These steps are relatively painstaking in terms of work load inasmuch as these communication calls are repeated very frequently during one and the same flight.
Furthermore, the quantity of the data communicated by the air traffic controller may sometimes be very great, especially when the aircraft is in a difficult phase of flight. It is then difficult for the pilot or the other members of the crew to memorize all the information provided by the air traffic controller or even to write it down or enter it by means of the MCDU or the RMP. Now, if the value of the frequency is not accurately recorded in the RMP, the communications with the air traffic controller cannot be set up, with all the risks and problems that this would entail.
To simplify this communications procedure and lighten the work load of the crew, it can be planned to use a voice recognition device that would enable the recognition of the pieces of data transmitted by the aircraft controller and their recording in digital form in the RMP. However, the use of a classic voice recognition device used in a cockpit would present the following drawbacks:
Not all the sounds and signals audible in a cockpit are relevant to voice recognition. It is therefore necessary to activate the voice recognition prior to the ground/aircraft transmission of the frequency so that the frequency can be selected and recognized without being disturbed by the other sounds and speech put out in the cockpit. It will therefore be up to the pilot or another member of the crew to activate the voice recognition device when the data on the frequency of the radio channel is given by the air traffic controller. In the prior art, this manual activation would bring about an additional constraint for the crew.
The voice recognition device must have a high signal-to-noise ratio so that the ambient noise does not disturb the detection of the data when it is sent out by the air traffic controller or by the pilot. An efficient signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained for example by placing one or more microphones before or in the proximity of the pilot or else by using algorithms making it possible to distinguish ambient noise in real time so as to eliminate these noises at least partially.
The user must read or listen to the frequency that has been recognized by the voice recognition device before it is validated. If the recognition has been correct, the pilot must validate the frequency.
The pilot must transfer the value of the frequency recognized by the voice recognition device to the display unit.
As a consequence, the use of a classic voice recognition device would be limited by the intrinsic performance of the device itself. Indeed, such a device has a recognition rate below 100%, in the region of 85 to 95%. Since the recognition is not sure at 100%, it can introduce a functioning artifact which provides little security to this solution low security and even makes it counterproductive.
To improve the voice recognition rate, it is necessary for the air traffic controller to take particular care in the pronunciation of the data communicated. Now it is difficult to ask this of an air traffic controller who transmits a large number of information elements and especially information other than information on the radiofrequency.